Faith And Worship

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Faith And Worship

 

IN the meshes of the materialism of the present times, religion fails to

evoke any thought or attention. Religion, in its simple significance, is

faith in Truth. It is mature and settled faith in Truth, realised and

fundamental. Truth is but one of the several epithets of the Supreme One.

Faith is the state of mind towards the All Supreme. It is personal and.not

always free from things worldly, while the Supreme is different. Faith is a

matter of one's own heart, and the course of one's own conduct towards the

outside Supreme, cherished as the ideal of the heart. It is the bowing of

the heart and dedication thereof to the Supreme. It is a devotional

surrender for the protection and grace of the Lord.

 

There can be no certainty of one's feelings, or the bent of hearts.

 

Knowledge or gnana, practice of Sadhana, may in a measure steady the mind

and stabilise the heart. The Jnani has pitfalls to beware of. The Asuras

were not without wisdom, leading to their undoing. Sri Sai seldom failed to

impress this aspect; His comparison of the Jnani to a ' ramphal' is unerring

in its import.

 

Sri Sai preferred Sadhanas involving faith and worship emphasising Bhakti as

essential thereto. He advocated worship of several things - images, coins,

pictures, padukas, etc. He has no mean place for the Guru, the giver of '

gnana' and the solidifier of faith. The Bhakta he would compare to a "

Seethaphal".

 

The path to the goal is rugged and Sri Sai warns us that it is infested with

hungry wolves, tigers, etc., and with yawning pits to negotiate, and

stresses the need for a guide or Guru. In brief, obtaining ' gnana' is

largely dependent upon our Guru.

 

To aspirants of gnana, mere acquisition of a Guru alone can never suffice.

Lucky indeed must be he who finds the proper Guru at whose feet he is

privileged to sit and learn. Hindus, before they start on any of their

prayers, first invoke their Gurus to lead them aright. Subjugation of the

mind and will, preparing one to be susceptible to the influence of the Guru,

the faith in which approach to Him is made, the sincerity with which He is

clung to, do seriously matter. In short, love, devotion and surrender are

called for the procurement of the Guru's grace.

 

It may be that one's desires or expectations are not immediately fulfilled;

or that failures and disappointments strongly tend to, and tempt the

forsaking of the Guru. A real Bhakta is not daunted and his faith waxes,

rather than wanes, come what may, happen what might.

 

Sri Sai often referred to his own Guru, and his part in the ennobling and

elevation of manhood. He was conservative in matters of his faith, devotion,

worship, etc. When Kavle Patil sought to abandon his old Gods and instal new

ones, Sri Sai not only disapproved of them, but also prevented it. In the

matter of the Guru our immediate and living God, Sri Sai has this to tell us:

 

" Stick to your own Guru with unabated faith, whatever the merits of the

other Gurus, and little of your own... We must not give up our attachment to

our own Guru, but even more firmly rest in him, and him alone."

 

It is not what the Guru teaches, or chants into one's ears, that would

matter. It is the contact with him, and the privilege to be with him, within

the sphere of the influence of his presence, and contemplate in devotional

love to him, these are what would lead to the Guru's grace. It is the very

presence of the Guru, thrilling the heart, elevating the soul, that makes

the Buddha, sadhu, etc. In his Mahima Sri Sai has this to say unto us : "

For 12 years I waited upon my Guru. How can I describe his love, tome? I sat

and gazed on Him, and we both were filled with bliss ... I cared not for

anything else ... Night and day I pored on His face with an ardour of love

that banished all thirst and hunger ... The Guru's absence even for a second

made Me restless ... I meditated upon nothing but the Guru — My eye

unceasingly fixed on Him, I wanted nothing from the Guru and He wanted

nothing but love from Me. Apparently inactive, He never neglected Me and

always protected Me with a glance. The Guru never blew any mantra into My

ear. By His Grace I obtained My present state. Making the Guru the sole

object of one's own thoughts and aims, one attains Paramartha, the supreme

goal. This is the Truth the Guru taught Me. Four sadhanas and six sastras

are not necessary. Trusting the Guru fully is enough."

 

Still further, Sri Sai would say : "I loved to gaze on Him, forgetting all

but the Guru. My life was in My sight and My sight in Him. " Thus,in

silence, heart full of love, in mute meditation, and gazeing and loving was

Sri Sai elevated to the high pedestal He occupies. These words of Sri Sai

reveal to man the intensity of the Bhakta's mind, and the ecstasies into

which one is wafted. The Bhakta is safe in the heaven of the Guru-God.

 

So is the Supreme Lord always with his Bhaktas. Instances of these

Bhaktas, groaning with desperation with the penalties of life , and rescued

by their Gurus and Gods, are little needed to bear this out. The life

stories of Kabir, Ramdas, etc ring loud in every ear. How the Devas

always got over the Daityas is not unknown or unappreciated. Nor can it

be forgotten how Lord Sri Krishna went so far to forget Himself to save

His beloved Partha.

 

Saint Sayings

 

Anger is a deadly enemy. It is an enemy possessed of an endless mouth. It is

a sword Whose edge is extremely sharp. Whatever self-restraint and

benevolence one may practice, all that is destroyed due to anger. Therefore,

one should renounce anger.

 

"In the course of One's talk one should scrupulously speak truthful,

agreeable, measured and wholesome words.

 

—One should always shun a raised seat and a high office.

If two or more persons are talking apart, one should not thrust Oneself

into their presence without their consent,

H.H.Swami Kesavaiahjis Selections

 

(Adopted from the Book Pearls of Wisdom by His Holiness Swami Kesavaiahji)